UN and US expresses concern over aid agencies’ explusion in Sudan

US urges Sudan to reconsider expulsion of aid groups

WASHINGTON (AFP) March.05.09 — The United States and other countries are urging Sudan to reverse its decision to expel aid groups who help vulnerable populations throughout the country, a US official said Thursday.

Sudan ordered expelled 10 international agencies it accused of helping the International Criminal Court issue an arrest warrant for President Omar al-Beshir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

“A number of countries are trying to convince the Sudanese government to reconsider this action,” the State Department’s acting deputy spokesman Gordon Duguid told reporters. “The United States is one of them.”

Duguid, who did not identify the other countries, said the United States was pressing its case “both on the ground (in Khartoum) and in New York,” where the United Nations is based.